[MTS]

For me the standouts for this year were:

Upper Middle Bogan
The Crown
Narcos
Marco Polo (only just got around to watching this...so good)
Awkward (guilty pleasure with the partner...)
Last Week Tonight (does this count?)
Veep
Game of Thrones
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Rick and Morty

[Slow Ben]

MTS, on 21 December 2016 - 11:16 PM, said:

Last Week Tonight (does this count?)

Hells yes it does.

[Primateus]

Slow Ben, on 22 December 2016 - 01:15 AM, said:

MTS, on 21 December 2016 - 11:16 PM, said:

Last Week Tonight (does this count?)

Hells yes it does.

It does, and I forgot about it.

[Aptorian]

I've slowly been falling out of love with Last Week Tonight. Mind you I only watch the 10-20 minute clips uploaded to YouTube with the subject of the week.

Especially during this campaign, it feels like Oliver has a tendency to pick a side or an angle on a subject and then just start skewing the shit out of the discussion. I often get the feeling that even though what I am being told is terrible, there is another side to that story that Oliver isn't presenting. And that is cool enough I guess, LWT isn't 60 minutes, it's meant to be comedic entertainment. But much like the Daily Show, there is a tendency for people to lean on LWT like it's a legitimate news source and not entertainment.

I've read more than a few Reddit posts from people who actually have inside knowledge on a subject that will heavily criticize Olivers presentation of the information.

Also, some of his bits just get old eventually.

[Morgoth]

I wouldn't really know to what extent Oliver skews the shit out of the discussion, but I wonder at the wisdom of using Reddit as a source for anything.

[Gorefest]

Black mirror (3rd season).

Frankly, I'm rather shocked that no one here has mentioned this slab of genius yet. Heathens.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 22 December 2016 - 10:24 AM

[Aptorian]

Morgoth, on 22 December 2016 - 09:47 AM, said:

I wouldn't really know to what extent Oliver skews the shit out of the discussion, but I wonder at the wisdom of using Reddit as a source for anything.

Are you implying that social media isn't a reliable source of information?

[Morgoth]

Apt, on 22 December 2016 - 10:31 AM, said:

Morgoth, on 22 December 2016 - 09:47 AM, said:

I wouldn't really know to what extent Oliver skews the shit out of the discussion, but I wonder at the wisdom of using Reddit as a source for anything.

Are you implying that social media isn't a reliable source of information?

Reddit is where information goes to die.

[worry]

I'm with Apt. We need to hear both sides of the Flint water crisis. Like sure, the city is being systematically and deliberately poisoned, but uh maybe being poisoned is...good?

On the whole I think Oliver's (staff's) research tends to be exceptional -- and his 'reports' for lack of a better term are often so excoriating that if they weren't they'd be sued into oblivion (and they sure haven't been). And I think he manages to be snarky without being smarmy (a fine line that his current peers often fail), and doesn't necessarily rely on snark all the time so much as sheer justified horror. In a year where new modern lows were reached, it was the proper response. And while it's true his jokes have a formula, they tend to be short whether they hit or miss.

If the show has a weak spot, it's that the Big Gimmicky Finale ideas can be pretty rank (the Drumpf thing, for instance) and those often seem to be the things that catch on in a viral way. Things that hearken back to the Colbert Report's more demonstrative satire (e.g. creating a Super PAC) work better, like when Oliver started the tax exempt televangelism thing.

This post has been edited by death rattle: 22 December 2016 - 08:38 PM

[Vengeance]

Apt, on 22 December 2016 - 08:48 AM, said:

Also, some of his bits just get old eventually.

This is very true. A bit that he did in 2015 will soon be almost 2 years old. It happens to everything.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Tiste Simeon, on 19 December 2016 - 07:46 PM, said:

Anyone seen a lovely British comedy called Detectorists? Both sessions are up on Netflix, or at least they are in the UK. I started watching it on a whim a while back and absolutely love it! Finished the second season today, it is heart warming, quirky and at times side achingly funny.

I'd recommend and I'd love to hear what some of you think.

Yes! Endearing and funny. I was skeptical about the premise, but quickly realized it was a great vehicle to get to know this smallshire group of dedicated geeks. Crook and Jones are a funny duo who comedically pair quite nicely together. It's a quick watch, and a worthy one. I'd recommend an episode before bed. Also, fun theme song.

Primateus, on 21 December 2016 - 06:57 PM, said:

It's difficult to explain, you really just have to watch the show and sort of "go with the flow" of it. It's bonkers! Crazy! Det rene galskab! In a good way.

The show is comedy, but it also gets...dark and just a little bit sinister.

Agreed. Any attempt to explain the plot of Dirk Gently would necessitate spoilers. Let it suffice to say that it's a weird show (and not really a supernatural one; maybe pan-natural?). I enjoyed the first 5 or so episodes more than the few that have come after, but the plot is strange enough and characters enjoyable enough to keep me watching.

The one shining star which pulls this show above and beyond being just a quirky mystery romp is Fiona Dourif's Bart. A fresh, ultra-creepy, yet somehow endearing character with depths that are being slowly revealed. Maybe I'm not liking the more recent episodes because she's been less present. But, like a piranha in the stream of creation, I'm sure she'll bite her way back in to more screen time.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 22 December 2016 - 02:24 PM

[Gorefest]

The two Dirk Gently books are definitely worth a read as well. They are awesome, as you would expect from the genius Douglas Adams.

But guys: black mirror. Subliminal messaging. You didnt read this but it will haunt you subconscientientally.

This post has been edited by Gorefest: 22 December 2016 - 08:20 PM

[Tatterdemalion]

Primateus, on 20 December 2016 - 12:54 PM, said:

I'm watching Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. It is weird as fuck. In a good way!

I just saw this on Netflix and totally want to watch it.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 19 December 2016 - 06:16 AM, said:

The great DVR implosion this year forced me to cut a bunch of shows I was keeping around but never quite getting around to watching. Gone were...
GRIMM
ORPHAN BLACK
AGENTS OF SHIELD
THE MAGICIANS
...and some others I can't even remember.

But what was left, and what I stuck with generally, were well worth the eye time...
GAME OF THRONES - Outrunning GRRM was the bestest thing that could have happened to this show.
THE EXPANSE - exceeded any expectations I had coming out of the book series.
STRANGER THINGS - I drank the slimy koolaid on this show as much as anyone else did. Totally enjoyed it.
NARCOS S1 and 2 - damn Netflix... that was some nasty good tv.
BLOODLINE - Netflix again. Made me watch a soap opera and actually enjoy it.
STAR WARS REBELS - yes, it's not CLONE WARS. Im starting to think that's a good thing.
PENNY DREADFUL. - I'm going to miss this show. Pity it went out with such a weak end to an otherwise strong season.
ARROW /FLASH - I acknowledge all the weaknesses of these shows, yet I still enjoyed them. Also, Constantine and giant sharkman.
VIKINGS - one of the best things on tv now.
MARS - rapidly becoming something I need to watch live or asap after.

One to add: OUTCAST, based on a comic by Kirkman the walking dead dude. Just finished marathoning this, and while the first season was maybe two eps linger than it needed to be, it was awesome, dark as fuck, genuinely suspenseful at times, and had a hell of an ending. Will look fwd to S2.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

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"Thank you all for your support!"

A few of my other favorites, in no particular order:

Dark Matter
Halt and Catch Fire
The Strain
Impastor
Z Nation
Dirk Gently
The Good Place
Gotham
Bob's Burgers